Studies in Revelation
by Dr. John H. Roller
Chapter 3
Verses 1-6
Revelation 3:1
AND TO THE ANGEL OF THE ASSEMBLY IN SARDIS (representing the Reformation Age, from AD 1517, when the Protestant Reformation began, to AD 1798, when the French Revolution reduced the temporal power of the Papacy to a mere fraction of its previous levels) WRITE: ‘HE WHO HAS THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD (Revelation 1:4), AND THE SEVEN STARS (Revelation 1:16, 20) SAYS THESE THINGS: “I KNOW YOUR WORKS, THAT YOU HAVE A REPUTATION OF BEING ALIVE, BUT YOU ARE DEAD. The Reformers were mostly concerned with changing the outward format of Christian organizations; they engaged in a lot of religious and political activity, but they really didn’t accomplish very much in the way of inward spiritual renewal for Christian people. They were still very ritualistic and formal in their approach to worship; their doctrinal changes were very intellectual, but they didn’t really restore the apostolic emphasis on Christian morality. They moved the Church in the right direction, but not far enough to satisfy the Lord. In these few verses, we will see more criticism than we might expect to see, when we think of them as applying to the Reformation Age, which many people look back on as a time when things were “really moving.” Actually, they weren’t yet moving that much after all.
Revelation 3:2
WAKE UP, AND KEEP THE THINGS THAT REMAIN, WHICH YOU WERE ABOUT TO THROW AWAY (the little “spark” of faith in Jesus that the Reformers had needed to be “fanned” into a much bigger “flame”), FOR I HAVE FOUND NO WORKS OF YOURS (such as restructuring the organized Church) PERFECTED BEFORE MY GOD (because it hadn’t yet really gotten back to first-century evangelical Christianity).
Revelation 3:3
REMEMBER THEREFORE HOW YOU HAVE RECEIVED AND HEARD (the basic message spread by Martin Luther, the first of the great Protestant Reformers, was the message of Romans 1:17 – “The just shall live by faith”). KEEP IT (don’t just repeat the words of this message; put its principles into practice), AND REPENT (turn away from your sins, and live a righteous, just and holy life). IF THEREFORE YOU WON’T WATCH, I WILL COME AS A THIEF, AND YOU WON’T KNOW WHAT HOUR I WILL COME UPON YOU. One teaching that did not reappear to a very great extent during the Reformation Age was a sense of the imminence of the return of Christ. The apostolic expectation that Jesus would come back soon – maybe even in their lifetimes – had been buried for several centuries under a mountain of Papal dogma, and the Reformers weren’t quite able to dig it back up again in their times.
Revelation 3:4
NEVERTHELESS YOU HAVE A FEW NAMES IN SARDIS (the “remnant” Church, a small group within both the Protestant and Catholic churches) THAT DID NOT DEFILE THEIR GARMENTS (they did not live immorally, as so many people who considered themselves to be “Christians” did in those days; they lived a holy life, to the best of their understanding of how to do so). THEY WILL WALK WITH ME IN WHITE, FOR THEY ARE WORTHY. Remember, though, that their “worthiness” wasn’t based on any of their “good works” – it was based on the fact that their lifestyle was a genuine reflection of their faith (Romans 1:17, again).
Revelation 3:5
HE WHO OVERCOMES WILL BE ARRAYED IN WHITE GARMENTS (like the “remnant” believers mentioned in verse 4), AND I WILL IN NO WAY BLOT HIS NAME OUT OF THE BOOK OF LIFE, AND I WILL CONFESS HIS NAME (Jesus knows the names of all those who have ever lived who have trusted in Him for their salvation, and He can, and will, “recite” those names) BEFORE MY FATHER (God), AND BEFORE HIS ANGELS.
Revelation 3:6
HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR (see Matthew 11:15, 13:9 and 13:43; Mark 4:9; and Luke 8:8 and 14:35 – this was a ‘favorite’ expression of Jesus’) WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE ASSEMBLIES.”’
Conclusion
The Reformation phase of Church history extended from AD 1517 to AD 1798. It was a time when outward progress was made in ridding Christianity of the extreme abuses it had undergone during the Medieval Age, but it was a far cry from the perfection the Lord has always wanted to see in His Bride; it would take two more church ages (described in the rest of Revelation 3) before She would be in the condition that Jesus expected Her to be in at the time of His prophesied return.
About Me
- John Roller
- I was born in 1949 and became a Christian in 1968. I have served as a medical research volunteer in the US Army, an interdenominational youth evangelist, pastor of Advent Christian churches in IL, FL, WV and NC, Director of Urban/Ethnic Ministries, Resource Center Coordinator and Publications Coordinator for the Advent Christian General Conference, Adjunct Professor of Biblical Studies at Atlanta Bible College, Ambassador Christian College and Rock River Christian College, and Visiting Instructor in the General Studies, Old Testament Biblical Studies, Pastoral Studies, Theological Studies and Urban Christian Ministries Departments at New Life Theological Seminary. I hold the degrees of AB, ThM and PhD. I have written two books and several tracts and booklets which have been published in Microsoft Word Document format. I am married to Rev. Mary Roller, who currently serves as Pastor of Faith Bible Christian Church, in Oak Ridge, NC (www.faithbiblechristian.com). We have three grown children and two grandchildren. I enjoy reading, traveling and preaching, as well as dabbling in such diverse hobbies as astronomy, baseball, genealogy and motorcycling.
